Electric railway



(No Model.)

R. M.. HUNTER. ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

No. 447,283. Patented Peb. 24, 1891.

f.. HV i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THETHOMSON-HOUSTON ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 447,283, datedFebruary 24, 1891.

Application iiled December 6 1890.

" ways; and it consists of certain improvements which are fully setforth in the following specification, and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part thereof.

This application (Case 190) has particular reference to electricrailways employing a suspended conductor arranged abovey the railway andwith which a current-collecting device carried by the car makes contact.

In carrying out my invention I employ a suspended working-conductor,(which may receive current direct from the source of energy or through asupply-conductor,) and at the curved portion of the railway I carry theconductor around the curve, forming it of short straight portionsarranged at an angle to each other, and this curved portion of theconductor I arrange at a distance farther from the center of curvatureof the railway than it would occupy if continued around the curve withthe same relative position with respect to the rails that it occupies onthe straight portion of the track. The car is provided with an electricmotor to propel it, and current is supplied to the motor-circuit on thecar by an upward and rearwardly-extending current-collecting device ortrolley, making a traveling contact with the suspended conductor. Thecontact-roller of the current-collecting device makes contact with thesuspended conductor at a point to the rear of the center of the car andalso to the rear of a vertical line through the axle at the rear end ofthe car. This permits considerable obliquity to the trolley-arm andinsures a ready following of the conductor by the trolley contact orwheel. The employment of`this great Obliquity and rearward contactnecessitates on the curve of the railway the peculiar location of theconductor above specified to obviate abnormal lateral movement to thecollector. In the case where the trolley-wheel- Serial No. 373,748. (Nomodel.)

curvature; but this forms subject-mattcr of my application Case 187. Thetrolley or current-collector is provided with means to permit 0f lateralmovement to follow the irregularities in the curved portion of theconductor. Y

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an electric railwayembodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of same.

A is the suspended positive conductor, which may be a bared wiresustained from posts or crosswires B in any of the well# known Ways. Theunder surface of this conductor is exposed for contact with thetrolleywheel e.

C C are the rails, and may act asthe return conductor. l

S represents a curved part of the railway. The suspended conductor A ismade curved by short straight sections J, which make an angle with eachother and are held in position, by tension-wires L. The curved part J ofthe suspended conductor is located to the outer side of the curveindicated by dotted line K, which would be formed by continuing theconductor around the curve at the same relative position which itoccupied on the straight portions of the track.

D is the car, and has the wheels and axles I. It is shown as afour-wheel car, but might be of the kind employing two pivoted trucks.

F is an electric motor employed to propel the car. G is a motor-circuiton the car and includes a regulator or resistancechanger I-I' and themotor F. It connects at one end with the trolley E and at the other withthey axle and rails. The contact-wheel e is supported upon the end of anupwardly and rearwardly extending current-collecting arm E, pivoted on atransverse axis P to a plate M and pressed upward by a spring O. Theplate M is pivoted on a vertical axis N, carried upon the' carbody. ItWill be evident that the arm E is movable both vertically and laterally,so as to follow all variations in the conductor A1 The normal positionof the current-collectorwhen the car is on the curve is shown in theplan view, Fig. 2, and from this iigure the reason for locating theconductor toward the outer rail on the curve will be apparent.

I do not limit myself to any specific construction of collector ortrolley,nor to the details of the railway or suspended conductor, as allof these may be modied without departing from the principles of theinvention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Iletters Patent, is-

1. In an electric railway, the combination of the track-rails having acurved portion and a suspended workiiig-conductor arranged at anelevation above the rails and extending along said railway and about itscurve, in which the curved portion of the working-conductor is arrangedfarther from the center of curvature of the railway-track than would bethe case if the conductor were extended around the curve with the samerelative position to the rails occupied byit on the straight portion ofthe railway.

2. In an electric railway, the combination of the track-rails having acurved portion, a suspended working-conductor arranged at an elevationabove the rails and extending along said railway and about its curve, inwhich the curved portion of the working-conductor is arranged fartherfrom the center of curvature of the railway-track than would be the caseif the conductor were extended around the curve with the saine relativeposition to the rails occupied by it on the straight portion of therailway, and an electrically-propelled car traveling upon the railwayand provided with an upwardly-extendin g current-collectin g devicemaking a traveling contact with the suspended conductor.

3. In an electric railway, the combination of the track-rails having acurved portion, a suspended working-conductor arranged at an elevationabove the rails and extending along said railway and about its curve, inwhich the curved portion of the working-conductor is arranged fartherfrom the center of curvature of the railway-track than would be the caseif the conductor were extended around the curve with the same relativeposition to the rails occupied by it on the straight portion of therailway, and an electric car running upon said railway and provided withan upwardlyextending and laterally-moving current-collecting devicemaking a traveling contact with the suspended conductor.

4. In an electric railway, the combination of the track-rails having acurved portion, a suspended working-conductor arranged at an elevationabove the rails and extending along said railway and about its curve, inwhich the curved portion of the working-conductor is arranged fartherfrom the center of curvature of the railway-track than would be the caseif the conductor were extended around the curve with the same relativeposition to said railway and about its curve, in which the curvedportion of the working-conductor is arranged farther from the center ofcurvature ot' the railway-track than would be the case if the conductorwere extended around the curve with the same relative position to therails occupied by it on the straight portion of the railway, an electriccar, and a current-collecting device carried by the car with provisionfor vertical and lateral movement and provided with a contact making anunderrunning traveling connection with the Suspended conductor.

6. In an electric railway, the combination of the railwaytrack having acurved portion, a suspended bared working-conductor extending along saidtrack and about its curve, and in which the curved portion of saidsuspended conductor is composed of a series of straight portionsarranged end to end and at an angle to each other and arranged fartherfrom the center of curvature of the track than said curved portion ofthe suspended conductor would occupy if it were carried about the curve,maintaining the same relative position to the rails which it occupiedwith respect to the straight portion of the railway.

7. In an electric railway, the combination of the railway-track having acurved portion, a suspended bared working-conductor extending along saidtrack and about its curve, and in which the curved portion of saidsuspended conductor is composed of a series of straight portionsarranged end to end and at an angle to each other and arranged fartherfrom the center of curvature of the track than said curved portion ofthe suspended conductor would occupy if it were carried about the curve,maintaining the same relative position to the rails which it occupieswith respect to the straight portion of the railway, an electric car,and a current-collecting device carried upon the car with freedom oflateral movement and making a traveling connection with the suspendedconductor.

8. In an electric railway,`the combination of the railway-track having acurved portion, a suspended bared workingconductor extending along saidtrack and about its curve, and in which the curved portion of saidsuspended conductor is composed of a series of straight portionsarranged end to end and at an angle to each other and arranged fartherfrom the center of curvature of the track than said IOO IIO

curved portion of the suspended conductor would occupy if it-Weiecarried about the curve, maintaining the same relative position to therails which it occupies with respect to the straight portion of therailway, an electric car adapted to run upon said railway, and anupwardly-extendingcurrent-collecting device carried by the car withprovision for vertical and lateral movement and provided with a Contactpart for making a traveling connecxo tion with the under side of thesuspended conductor.

In testimony of which invent-ion I have hereunto set my hand.

R. M. HUNTER.

Vvvitnesses: y

ERNEST HOWARD HUNTER, S. T. YERKES.

